Mike, there are few wartime drydock (the USS HAMBLETON is a rare exception) or even in-yard views at BosNY available (maybe most not even taken) during WWII. When I talked to Steve Carlson, the head NPS curator at Charlestown/Boston NPS Park, he said that there weren't too many "in yard" photos taken in response to restrictions on photography during WWII. His Dad worked at Charlestown Navy Yard during and after WWII and that was what Steve was told by him.

Steve Carlson has a copy of the BosNY photo register that lists all the photos taken. It lists them in chronological order with dates, there numbering format was sequence numbers starting at "1" followed by the two digit year "xxxx-4x NYBos", but unfortunately doesn't list the subject. Based on the numbers of photos listed in the register, there are a lot of photos NOT sent into BuShips to get into the 19-LCM series. I and others have come across some of the "missing" images in other places. Some photos likely were ones taken of construction at the yard during WWII. Building ways were added for construction of DE's by BosNY as an example.

Steve has a hard time getting photography of the buildings at BosNY (Charlestown and South Boston) to track changes.

The only exception to WWII drydock views, are aerial survey photos that were periodically taken during WWII. But, they don't allow for seeing good details.

Many of the destroyers built by BosNY, BIW, Beth-Quincy, and ones that were sent to BosNY for yard work during WWII, used the drydocks. I have not found ANY views of a FLETCHER in a drydock at BosNY. I know many did use a drydock, there were several, which ones I don't know without a lot of digging.

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...with ships undergoing repair/maintenance?

Please advise.

Thanks!!!

Mike E.

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I received this kit today, and it's a great little model. The detail is really fine and restrained, and the molding is sharp and clean. It comes with lots of hull blocks, PE for the crane, and a nice booklet with photos that depict the history of the dry dock. Finally, it comes with the hull bottom for the Snowman Gearing kit.

It depicts the dry dock in her post-WW2 appearance--after it had been extended some. To depict it in its WW2 appearance you would have to remove a section of the dry dock with a razor saw--but my initial impression is that this would be very doable, as I believe that the added-on section is clearly demarcated.

And this would be a really interesting diorama: USS Hambleton in two pieces undergoing repair in the dry dock, after her torpedoing in North Africa: